UPDATE: THE Katter's Australian Party national executive has suspended its former national secretary Bernard Gaynor over comments he made about homosexuals.

Mr Gaynor, who this week announced he was standing for the Senate at the next election, will now have to "show cause" why he should not be expelled from the party.

The decision to suspend Mr Gaynor came during a national executive teleconference this afternoon.

It came after Tess Corbett, the KAP candidate for the Victorian seat of Wannon, withdrew her candidacy after she likened homosexuals to pedophiles.

KAP president Max Menzel told APN Newsdesk Ms Corbett was not pressured by the party into making the decision.

He also revealed Mr Gaynor had been warned last week by a senior KAP staffer to tone down the nature of his comments in the media, on Twitter and his blog.

Mr Gaynor said he received death threats after he took to Twitter on Wednesday night to support Ms Corbett's controversial comments.

"I wouldn't let a gay person teach my children and I am not afraid to say it," Mr Gaynor tweeted.

Mr Menzel said he should have known better.

"As national secretary he was the boss. He must the know the rules," Mr Menzel said.

"It makes him more guilty in a sense."

Mr Menzel said the national executive had decided to take swift action to avoid further damage to the party.

He said while he believed marriage should be between a man and a woman, he respected all views.

In fact, he threatened to quit the party over the anti-gay ads the party ran in the lead-up to the Queensland election.

Katter Senate hopeful won't back down from anti-gay tweet

DESPITE Senate hopeful Bernard Gaynor's confidence that both the Prime Minister and Opposition leader would agree with his 'gay' comments, Katter Party national director Aidan McLindon has distanced his party from the controversial comments.

Fellow KAP candidate from Victoria Tess Corbett also came under fire this week when she compared homosexuals and lesbians to pedophiles.

She also reportedly stated it would be a sad day if homosexuals were given equal rights to others.

KAP national director Aidan McLindon issued a statement this morning distancing the party from the controversial statements those two candidates made about gay and lesbian people.

"Katter's Australian Party will not be used by people to air and promote their own personal preoccupations," he said.

"This position will be be communicated to all proposed and potential candidates and zone chairs across Australia."

EARLIER: SENATE nominee for Katter's Australian Party Bernard Gaynor has said Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott would both support his stance on allowing parents the right to choose who teaches their children.

The comments come as Mr Gaynor faces a backlash for a post on Twitter yesterday that read: "I wouldn't let a gay person teach my children and I am not afraid to say it."

Mr Gaynor, who was the general secretary for Katter's Australian Party before giving up his role to run for the Senate, said he would not back down on his stance.

"I'm sure both of them (Gillard and Abbott) would 100 per cent back the rights of parents if they had concerns over the values of teachers.

"This includes concerns over teachers who promote homosexual lifestyles, either actively or by example, to children," he said.

"This is not controversial. Any society with a basis in common sense would support parental responsibility."

The Iraq veteran said he believed both Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard would be "uncomfortable" with promoting what he termed a "lifestyle that has serious negative health consequences and is opposed to the values of the majority of Australians."

"Australia has always been a Christian country and the vast majority of Australians continue to hold Christian values," Mr Gaynor said.

"It would be a sad day for Australia if its Christian population was prevented from freely practicing its religion."

A tweet by Queensland Katter Party senate nominee Bernard Gaynor stating that he won't allow a gay person to teach his children.

Mr Gaynor said he was not concerned over the backlash he had faced for his Twitter comments.

"The convected outrage on Twitter is not a reflection of mainstream views and the continued hate-filled and vitriolic comments do not scare me," Mr Gaynor said.

"However, I do not appreciate comments wishing death or misfortune upon me.

"It just goes to show that the so-called bullying in this debate is not coming from me."

"I am particularly saddened to have received emails wishing that I had died while deployed with the Australian Army to Iraq.

"A little more maturity in this debate would be a good thing."

Reader poll

What do you think of Bernard Gaynor's Twitter post?

This poll ended on 25 January 2013.

Current Results

Everyone is entitled to an opinion

13%

It's offensive and he should apologise

57%

It doesn't matter, his opinion is in the minority

10%

I agree with his comment

18%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.